One of the inspirations for my work is the book, Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin. In his book, he describes stages of healthy "soulcentric" development in which humans become psychologically mature. He contends that most adults in contemporary Western culture do not actually mature into true adulthood. This is due to the lack of support in our society to enter a "cocoon" phase of development in which we encounter deep mysteries of nature and the soul. He suggests that most people hear a call to this adventure, but they are not able to answer the call.

In my work with teens, it is interesting for me to look through this lens when trying to understand the various problems in their lives. It is truly a sad state of affairs when young people feel the surge of power and heat in their bodies that comes alive during adolescence, but have so little guidance of how to honor and direct the energy. I created one very simple group activity to provide my clients with a quick glimpse at a model of the transition from childhood to adulthood, represented by the stages of metamorphasis of a butterfly (Number 25, "Butterfly Initiation). But in spite of any failures on the part of our society to provide any healthy initiation rites for our youth, it is remarkable how the youth continue to thrive and provide a raging challenge to the status quo through music, dress, and insights that can only occur in that liminal stage when you have no allegiances to propriety.

Creative expression is like a journey into a wilderness of sorts. I have been very blessed to share some very precious and powerful moments with clients who attend my groups at the New Horizons Children's Crisis and Stabilization Unit in Fort Pierce, Florida. I would like to share some of my personal expeditions into the wild that I have experienced through facilitating groups with children and teens in crisis. Thanks for joining me.